The Mad King
by SilentSilas
Summary: The Mad King once ruled the world guiding it into a state of peace. But after his death his empire swiftly collapsed plunging the world into a state of perpetual war and driving shinobi to the brink of extinction. Kurama had long since accepted the state of the world and his role within it, at least he did, until he found Naruto.


The Mad King

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The treetops shimmered with the last light of the day as the sun fell below the horizon shrouding everything in the darkness of night. In the center of the forest laid a single decrepit cabin with rotting wood making up the walls a door that barely laid on its hinges and a roof that had many a whole causing the moonlight to filter into it. Inside the cabin laid the forests only inhabitants. A tall man crimson haired and eyed man who appeared no older than twenty and a runt of a seven-year-old child with shocking blond hair and bright blue eyes.

The boy was lying in the only bed in the cabin covered heavily in blankets to shield himself from the frigid weather. The man sat next to him in a chair that appeared to barely hold his weight.

"Are you going hunting again Kurama?" the boy asked while yawning.

"I'll leave once you go to sleep, and tomorrow morning we can enjoy a stew for breakfast." Kurama responded fondly ruffling the boys hair as he stood. "Now go to sleep if you don't get a good night's rest you'll stay a runt forever." Kurama chuckled as the boy glared at him while pouting.

"I'm not a runt I'm just seven," He grumbled while turning over his back facing towards Kurama, "And I dont wanna go to sleep I wanna go hunting with you!" He exclaimed still refusing to look at his caretaker who was still laughing at his expense.

"Now don't be that way Naruto. You know you're too young to go hunting with me" Seeing that his words did nothing to pacify the boy Kurama sighed and forcibly turned Naruto over to face him before speaking. "How about I tell you a bedtime story?"

Naruto immediately perked up and smiled brightly at Kurama, "Can you tell me about the Shinobi again?"

Kurama smiled at the boys quick shift in attitude. "Okay, but you have to go to sleep right after" Naruto nodded sitting up in his bed as Kurama prepared to tell the story he had already told a million times.

"In a remote fishing village far to the north, where the trees turned to mountains and the cold remained year round, there lived an orphaned boy. Like many boys he dreamed of leaving his village and becoming a shinobi unlike any other, a hero that people could depend on, someone who his allies respected and his enemies feared. To this end the boy worked constantly, he would run up and down the mountain every day, assist in chopping lumber for the elderly people of the village, and carrying deliveries for the local fishmonger. On top of this the boy would subject himself to a rigorous exercise routine that would exhaust men 3 times his age. For ten years the boy trained becoming stronger and faster with each passing day until finally his opportunity arrived. The local daimyo who ruled over their lands was preparing to wage a war of conquest to expand his influence across the world. To this end he summoned every able bodied man he could find the strongest of which he subjected to the training of shinobi."

"The boy, now a man, saw this as his chance to prove himself. His years of hard work were finally going to pay off and when all was said and done he _would_ become the strongest in the world. The man joined the military and when the time came for the selection of who would receive shinobi training the man annihilated all of the foes he was faced with. So impressed was the daimyo that he allowed the man to be trained among his own personal guard another year passed and while the war was waged and many of his comrades perished on the front lines he flourished, under the tutelage of the daimyo's personal guard he mastered the shinobi arts at a record speed as he approached it with the same tenacity that he approached everything else. In fact it was not long until he was able to surpass even his teachers and the daimyo declared him general of the military. For three years the man and the daimyo waged a gruesome war but the man never once doubted his ability to lead his men to victory. He fought many battles many times he faced nearly insurmountable odds and yet he prevailed and finally after the war was finished the daimyo granted the man a large plot of land and allowed him to do whatever he wished with it."

"The man was happy and knew precisely what to with the land he was granted. Throughout the war he had seen a lot of suffering, he himself had seen many a comrade fall in battle, including some of the ones who had taught him the shinobi way. Though he had accomplished his dream of becoming a shinobi and even of becoming a hero he knew it was not enough. He knew that so long as shinobi lived war would be waged. So the man began to hatch a plan, a plan that would bring peace to the world, one that would finally ensure that the world would never again be plunged into war. With the plot of land he created a village where he could unite the shinobi that had served under him, with the daimyo's permission he once again ruled the military force of his lands. It was not long before he formed a force comparable in strength to the force of samurai and civilian soldiers that the daimyo commanded. You see through the course of the war that the daimyo was a cruel power hungry man, the daimyo had a dream of his own, a dream to rule the world under his iron fist. The man knew that for the sake of peace he would be forced to crush the daimyo's dream.

"So once again he went to war, this time against the lord that had granted him power and with his iron will and tactical might he and his forces killed the daimyo and took command over the daimyo's land. But the man was not finished. Though he had usurped the daimyo to stop him from waging war with the world. It did not take long for the man to realize that the only way to truly create a lasting peace was to unite the world under one banner. So, with a heavy heart the man sent out his message to the rest of the world. Join him or be annihilated by his overwhelming might. Many of the other world leaders simply laughed at the mans threat deeming him delusional and weak. But one by one their lands were attacked and conquered by the man and his army. Soon the people realized the futility of fighting and pledged themselves and their men to the man and his newly founded empire."

"The man had succeeded. He had become the world's greatest hero a shinobi of unmatched prowess and for the rest of eternity he would be remembered for the sacrifices he had made for the sake of peace." Kurama finished. Shaking his head he noticed that Naruto had fallen asleep he kissed the boy's forehead and left the cabin silently.

He always hated that story. Yet he told it because it seemed to make Naruto happy. The first time he had told he hadn't even meant to, he was just going to tell Naruto a story of a shinobi who had accomplished his dreams through hard work and determination or some similar bullshit, but he quickly got lost in his memories. He always told and abridged version of the story where the man succeeded when in truth the story didn't have such a happy ending. The man had created his empire that much was true but in the end the man lost himself to guilt and commited suicide. The Mad King. The Cursed One. The King of Cataclysm. The man earned himself many names throughout history as after his death his empire fell apart many of the shinobi who had once served him when he was a mere general were executed and ironically the world was launched into a state of perpetual war. In this war most shinobi were hunted and killed by the Samurai and civilian soldiers and now only a few hundred roamed the world hiding in the shadows. Kurama had long since come to terms with his own role in the current state of the world and hid himself far away from human civilization hoping to find peace with himself.

Along the way he had taken Naruto in. The orphan had somehow found himself in Kurama's forest and Kurama took him in. To this day he didn't truly know why he took the boy in. Perhaps he felt that by doing so he was in some way repenting for his sins. No matter the reason it was now Naruto and Kurama against the world. They were all each other had and Kurama would make sure that no matter what Naruto would remain safe.

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A/N: Sorry I've been away for so long my life has been really hectic for the last few months. Don't worry I will be continuing my other story I just need inspiration to strike me as I'm going through a bit of writer's block with it. For right now this will remain a one-shot but I may develop it into a full story if you guys really want to see it or if I have inspiration for the rest of the story.


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